Despite worthy performances by Billy Bob Thornton and Kathy Bates, readers of the book will come away scratching their heads about changes in the plot. Perhaps if Jeffrey Wright had been cast as Henry Burton — as the rumors initially had it — the protagonist might have retained the moral complexity to keep the rest of the story on track.

Kinder, gentler and much-simplified adaptation of the book by Joe Klein. Opts for feel-good over snappy every time, to viewers’ loss.

Longer review on Movie Help Web